Dean's Welcome

Eric Hoffer once wrote that “Where there is the necessary technical skill to move mountains, there is no need for the faith that moves mountains.”

I couldn’t disagree more.

Technology is changing the many ways we communicate every day. What’s the proper tone to take in e-mail? R U familiar with IM speak?

Communication industries are deep into this technological revolution. People see something they think looks like journalism on someone’s blog—but is it? Advertisers try to figure out the best way to promote their products through social networking sites like Facebook. Virtual worlds offer public relations people unexplored challenges; is an avatar the same thing as a person?

In this new world, there are plenty of technical skills to go around. It’s our job to help students develop those skills in communication. But we’re also here to provide a deeper foundation for those skills. That’s what sets our program apart.

At Loyola, we are committed to helping students think about how technology is changing so many things. We give students the ethical foundation needed to negotiate a changing world. We believe that faith has an important role in grounding people when the ground seems to be shifting.

Almost 100 years ago journalist Walter Lipmann wrote “You cannot endow even the best machine with initiative; the jolliest steam-roller will not plant flowers.”

Technology without understanding doesn’t get us very far. Our goal is to encourage a better understanding of the new world and the skills needed to succeed in it.